Firing mechanism for firearms



G. HAMMOND. FIRING MECHANISM FORFIREARMS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG- 8, I918.

1310,2480 PatentedMar. 21, 1922.

I N VEN TOR.

UNHTE ifiTES GRANT HAMMOND, on NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD m ALVA-C. WASHBURNE, or PITTSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, AND omq m FREDERICK e. CRANE, or DALTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

FIRING MECHANISM FOB FIREARMS.

Specification of Iletters Patent.

Patented Mar. 21, 1922.

To all whom it may concern:

-Be it known that 1, GRANT HAMMOND, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved Firing Mechanism for Firearms, of which the following is a specification. I I

My invention relates more especially to that class of firearms in which the loading and ejection of the empty-shells is automatically performed, and an object of the invention, among others, is to provide a firing mechanism so constructed that continuous firing may take place, or that single shots may be fired, that is, the parts are so arranged that the firearm may be automatic in its action or semi-automatic.

One form of device embodying my invention and in the construction and use of which the objects herein set out, as Well as others, may be attained, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a firearm embodying my invention with parts broken away to show construction.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the frame of my improved firearm.

Figure 3 is a detail view of a portion of my improved firearm looking at the opposite side from that shown in Figure 1, parts being broken away to show construction.

Figure 4 is a detail view illustrating the operation of the controller.

Figure 5 is a similar view showing a dif ferent position of the parts.

Figure 6 is a detail view, scale enlarged, illustrating the construction of the releasing plunger.

Figure 7 is a detail view illustrating the means for locking the receiver to the frame.

Figure 8 is a detail view showing the operation of the locking bolt retainer.

Figure 9 is a detail View illustrating .a

i slightly different arrangement of the spring for operating the two sears.

My improved mechanism has to do principally with the trigger, the hammer'and connecting parts and for this reason only a small part of a firearm, sufficient for a clear understanding of my invention, is shown and described herein,reference being had to a copending application filed in my name December 1st, 1917, Serial Number 204,921, for a description and illustration of such parts of the device as are not disclosed herein, the'numeral 5 indicating the frame comprising a handle 6 and a trigger guard 7. A receiver 8 1s mounted for limited sliding movement on the frame as by means of lips 9 on the lower side'parts of the receiver engaging grooves '10 1n opposite sides of the frame. A hammer 11 is pivotally mounted in the frame to engage a firing pin in a breech-bolt, which bolt is slidablymounted in the receiver, said bolt and firing pin being shown in Figure 3 and the operations of which will be readily understood b those skilled in the art. A trigger 12 is plvotally mounted in the frame, projecting within the trigger guard 7 and a scar actuating bar 13 1s pivotally connected at one end to the trigger and projects across the handle and frame and has a notch 14 at its opposite end to receive a searactuating finger 15 secured to a sear shaft 16.

A bar releasing plunger 17 is located in a recess in the side of the frame and is seated upon a spring 18. A controller ,19 is rotatablymounted in the frame and it has a controlling lug 2O projecting from one side into a notch 21 in the actuating bar 13. The lug has one edge 22 acting as a holder to retain the bar 13 in one position, an edge 23 acting as. a release to permit said bar to assume another position and an edge 24 acting as a lock to secure said bar against movement. A bar releasing plunger actuator 25 receives an actuating pin 26 resting against a spring in said actuator, said pin also being seated against the .bar releasing plunger 17. One end of said actuator extends into a cam recess 28 in the under side of the receiver 8.

A firing sear 29 is secured to the shaft 16 and a safety sear 30 is mounted on a pivot 31 in the frame, both of said sears engaging the hammer. A breech-bolt 32 is provided with means to engage the safety sear and 1 move it into disengaged position at about the time the breech-bolt reaches its closed position. This connection of the safety sear with the breech-bolt may be effected in difis formed to engage the safety sear to actu-v ate it, in this form of structure the end of said lock, in its movement to lock the breech-- curved locking edge 24 a ainst the-shoulder constituting the front'en of the notch 21 in the bar 13, (see Figure 5) said bar is held against backward movement so that the finger 15 cannot be operated to cause firing action of the firearm. When said controller is turned so that the releasing edge 23 is located opp osite the deepest part of the notch 21 (see igure 4) there being a space between the two parts at this time, the firearm is caused to act in a semi-automatic manner, that is, to fire one shot at each pull of the trigger. In such action the breech-bolt being closed and the hammer being cocked and the trigger being pulled, the firing sear 29 will be released from the hammer, and the safety sear 30 being disengaged "from the hammer by pressure of the lock 33, (the breech-bolt being in its forward or closed position,) the hammer will be released, firing will take place, the receiver will be moved back a' slight distance on the frame carrying with it the breech-bolt that will be. unlocked therefrom by operation of the.1ock 33 that will be actuated by this movement, and the breech-bolt will be forced backward in the receiver by the ases of-explosion in the usual mannen. s said receiver and bolt move baekwardly the cam recess 28 in the former will engage the actuator 25 and force 'it downwardly, and by reason of the fact that the spring 27 is stronger than the spring 18 the releasing plunger will be forced downwardly, to momentarily release the. bar 13 from the finger 15. This will permit the firing-sear to be forced by its sprlng, as usual, into position to immediatelyreengage the hammer when it is againcocked by the breech-bolt in its rearward movement, in a being seated upon this rest and pressing way that will be readily understood, and the hammer being thus held against movement firing action cannot take place until the trigger is again pulled.

WVhen the controller is turned so that its holding edge 22 is-within the notch 21, then the action of the parts just above described 9 cannot take place for the reason that the actuating bar, 13 is held in engagement with the finger 15 and cannot be disengaged therefrom. This will' result in full auto matic action, or continuous firing of the firearm as long as the trigger is held back, until the cartridges have been expended. The plunger 17 and actuator 25 constitute a sectional connector, in that they connect the receiver with the sear actuating bar 13, thus permitting the latter to be actuated by the receiver. The firing sear is disengaged from the hammer at each backward movement of the bar 13, caused by a pull on the trigger, but .if the breech-bolt is not inits closed position firing will not take; place for the reason that the hammer will be held by the safety sear until the breech-bolt is closed and locked and the sear has been thus released. The controller may be operated by a finger piece 35 that may be retained in its different positions, as shown by full'and dotted lines in Figure 3, in any desired manner.

The receiver is movably locked to the frame a locking bolt 36 having a locking lug 3'(.'=. ;o engage a locking recess 38 inthe receiver, said recess being slightly elongated to permit movement ofthe receiver on the frame as clearly set out in my .co-pending application herein mentioned. The bolt is movably mounted in the frame and may be operated as bymeans of a thumb piece 39.

This .locking bolt, is spring pressed to en- .gage the lug 37 with its locking recess 38,

and it is prevented from being displaced by its spring by means of a breech-bolt lock actuator 40 "located in the path of movement of a prong 43 on the bolt 36, said actuator being pivotally mounted in the frame with one end engaging a recess 34 in the breech-bolt lock, said lock being actuated by means of a' cam 41 on the actuator. A notch 42 in the bolt-36 is arranged to receive the 96 actuator 40 when the bolt is pressed inward and thus permit the. actuator to be moved to a position for disengagement 'of the breechbolt from the actuator in an efort to remove the receiver from the frame, this operation 100 of the locking bolt also unlocking the 're=. ceiver'from the frame-to permit its removal. In assembling the parts the locking. bolt is first placed in position and the actuator 40 is then secured in place in engagement with 108 the locking bolt.

In the structure of the scars as shown in Figure 9 the safety sear 44'has a's'pring rest :45 that is a lip projecting laterally from one side of the sear, an actuating spring 46 110 against the firing sear 29. This structure [provides a single spring serving the double 12 5 comprlsing IIIOV- able parts including firing mechanlsin embodying a firing member to be released for firing action, 'an actuating member movably mounted to effect release of said firing inmate member, an operative connection between said members, means operated by action of one of said parts for interrupting said connection to cause single firing action, and means for maintaining said connection to cause continuous automatic firing action.

2. A firing mechanism includinga firing member to be released for firing action, an actuating member movably mounted to effect release of said firing member, an operative connection between said members, a framesupporting said members, a receiver movably mounted on the frame and having means to effect operation of said connection to cause single automatic firing action, and means for maintaining said connection to cause continuous automatic firing action.

3. A firing mechanism includinga firing member to be released for firing action, anactuating member movably mounted to effect release of said firing'member, an opera tive connection between said parts, a frame supporting said members, a receiver movably mounted on the frame and having means to effect operation of said connection to cause single automatic firing action, and manually operated means for maintaming said connection to cause continuous automatic firing action.

4. A breech mechanism comprising movable parts including firing mechanism em bodying a firing member to be released for firing action, an actuating member movably mounted to efiect release of said firing member, an operative connection between said parts, means operated by action of one of said parts for moving said actuating member to interrupt said connection to cause single automatic firing action, and means for holding said actuating member to maintain said connection to cause continuous automatic firing action.

5. A breech mechanism comprising movable parts including firing mechanism embodying a firing member to be released for firing action, an actuating member movably mounted to effect release of said firing member, an operative connection between sai parts, means operated by action of one of said parts for interrupting said connection to cause single automatic firing action, and manually operated means to render said interrupting means ineffective, and to maintain said connection to cause continuous automatic firing action.

6. A firing mechanism including a firing member to be released for firing action, an

actuating member movably mounted to effect release of said firing member, an operative connection between said members, a sectional member connected with said actuating member to operate it to cause single automatic firing action, and means to permit movement of one section of said sectional member independently of the other to maintain said connection to cause continuous firing action.

7. A firing mechanism including a firing member to be released for firing action, an actuating member movably mounted to effect release of said firing member, a movably mounted member, a sectional connector between said movably mounted member and actuating member, means for holding said actuating member to cause action of a Single section of said connector, and means for releasing said actuating member to permit operation of the entire connector.

8. A firing mechanism including a firing member to be released for firing action, an actuating member movably mounted to effect release of said firing member, a sectional connector to operate said actuating member, one of the sections of the connector being movable independently of the other, and manually operated means to hold said actuating member in one position to' cause continuous automatic firing action and to release said actuating member to permit single automatic firing action, by the operation of said connector.

9. A firing mechanism including a firing member tobe released for firing action, an actuating member movably mounted to effect release of said firing member, an operative member, a manualliy operated member having T means to hold sai actuating member in one position for continuous automatic firing action, and means operated by action of one of said parts to effect movement of the actuating member to cause single automatic firing action.

11. A breech mechanism comprising movably mounted parts including firing mechanism embodying an actuating member movably mounted to efi'ect release of a firing member, a manually operated member having means to hold said actuating member. I

in one position for continuous automatic firing action, means operated by action of one of said parts to efi'ect movement of the actuating memberto cause single automatic firing action, and means to lock said actu-' ating member against movement.

12. A' firing mechanism including a firing member to be released for firing action, an

receiver locking actuating. member movably mounted to effect release, of said firing member, an operative connection between said parts, a receiver havmg a cam recess, a connector composed of two sectlons movable one independently of the other, one of said sections pro-. jecting into said cam recess, and manually operated means to prevent movement of one sectlon of the connector and thus cause contlnuous automatic firing actlon.

, 13. A firearm including a frame, a re- 1 vent accidental removal of the latter.

14. A firing mechanism for a firearm including a member to be released for firing action, a firing sear movably mounted to engage said member, and a safety sear both movably mounted to engage the same part ofsaid member, and a spring'interposed between and supported by said sears and exerting pressure in opposite directions to force both of the sears mto engagement with said firing member. w

15. A firing mechanism including a firing member to be released forfiring action, an actuating member movably mounted to effeet release of said firing member, a connection between said members, a controller vmember to permit said actuating member to have a eontmuous connection with a "member of said connectlon and to permit said actuating member to have an interrupted connection with said member, and a movably mounted. dlsengaging member engaged with said actuating member andwholly movable independently thereof. GRANT HAMMOND. 

